The perfect lakeside camp | New Zealand Road Trip

We woke up to what may have been my favourite view of the entire trip. The fact that it was just outside our van in the morning only made it sweeter. The sky was bright and the waters of Lake Wakatipu were still and clear, reflecting the hills that surrounded us.

We had agreed on a slow morning – no early alarm, no rushing to get on the road. Esme and I took our drawing and painting materials to the stony edge of the water and sat in the quiet morning sunshine. I worked on painting the view – a fun task to attempt. I enjoyed using lake water to make the watercolour paints come alive, playing with the reflections.

As the sun grew hotter on us, we decided to get into the lake. The stones were sharp beneath our feet and the water was extremely chilly, but it was so fresh and beautiful. Esme has a strong tolerance for cold water and was able to stay in swimming for much longer than I was. I tried to capture all of the sensations whilst I was in – the gasp of cold, the brilliant view, the clarity. Then I returned to the shore and painted some more.

We drove to Kingston, stopping at a convenience store for coffee, WiFi, and pie. I had the vegan ‘butter chicken’ pie that was actually delicious. We plotted our route to Te Anau on Google Maps, found a campsite to aim for, and discovered the glow worm caves that can be explored there. 

After a few hours’ drive, we arrived in Te Anau with time to embark of a glow worm cave tour that evening. We walked into town from the campsite and boarded a boat over the lake. The sun was shining and the water was beautiful. 

When we arrived at the caves, we were first given an introduction to the experience, before being split into smaller groups. We were told our mobile phones had to be stored at all times to ensure that our eyes adjusted to the darkness, so that we could see the light of the glow worms. Our group headed into the cave, ducking to enter through the low arch. Inside was damp and cool. Rock walls ran with water and we could hear and smell it in the air. There were several waterfalls gushing from different heights. One you could reach out and cup your hand to catch and taste it. It was perfectly fresh. As we walked and stopped in different areas of the cave, our guide gave us information about what we could see. What we could hear over the water was interesting!

After some exploring, it was time for us to board a boat. The raft was tiny, and we squeezed on with strangers. Then we were navigated into the darkness, where little blue lights glowed like stars. The further we went and our eyes adjusted, the more we saw. On the water, out of control of our movement, it was like we were drifting through space. That was until a dicey moment of collision where we must have encountered a wall. It was a surreal and strange experience seeing only glowing lights as we were transported through the cave.

After we left the cave, we were offered hot drinks and given a talk about glow worms which was very informative and interesting. We learnt that glow worms are the larval stage of a small fly and glow as a means to attract prey. They're actually gory little creatures, but they did look pretty in the cave.

The morning before we left Te Anau, Esme and I managed to dip in the lake for a very quick swim. This was our southernmost dip and the cold was sharp needles in our palms and feet. It was a huge accomplishment just managing to submerge ourselves and gave us a buzz to start the day ahead.